Piper Messick is this week’s Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming Student Athlete of the Week

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Piper Messick is an ace in the circle and an ace in the classroom and she has, well at least she will have the hardware to prove it. ”Ever since I watched my older brother graduate, I saw them have this Honors sash and I told myself I was going to get one of those.” Messick says. “Every teacher wants her in their class” says Bozeman softball head coach Jared Smith “because she’s attentive, she goes above and beyond, she’s hard working.” And when Piper looks at here athletic and academic life she knows its just like when planning the mix between her rise balls and changeups, there has to be balance, she says. “It gives me a better mindset, it gives me more grit, more perseverance because what I apply in the classroom is kind of what I need to do on the field.”

”She’s a leader out here on the field both emotionally and physically.” adds coach Smith. That leadership only grew last year as she dealt with an arm injury. And even though her season as a player was done, her season as a teammates had just begun. “She came out here and said “how can I help this team?” and she found how to fit herself in” Smith tells us. “I kind of took the behind the scenes” Messick says “and I just let myself do what I needed to do and I think that gained the respect of the girls.” This year she’s back and in full swing, or I guess rotation, as she looks to stay sharp before her journey to the next level. Coach Smith tells us “She’s already signed to play at Huntington College. I want her to be fully prepared so when she leaves out of here, when she graduates here, she steps right in and be a force immediately.” She’ll be looking for dominance on the field but a place like home with the potential for strong friendships off of it, she says. “When I did a personal tour with my mom and dad it felt like home. I love making bonds with the girls and I want to continue that for the next for years.”

Piper has pitched every inning for the Bucks so far this season, sporting and a 5-1 record, a 2.2 Era with 46 strikeouts. And she also leads the team with a .538 Batting average! She and the bucks enjoying a break of sorts, they’re back on the diamond on the 27th against Freeport. Messick says she’ll study speech language pathology once she gets to college “Newschannel 7′s Student Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Walborsky, Bradley and Fleming.

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